Who is the most famous person in history?

[schwarzkopf]

Why would you exclude anyone from the last century?

Because technology has made personalities famous, but made very few people famous.

If we include the last 100 years then Psy of Gangnam Style is more famous that almost anyone else of the last 100 years.

[jackofwind]

We need to exclude 'via media' fame to make the question meaningful at all, and at the time of his life he was very much unknown relatively.

He had limited geographical exposure indeed.

For sure, he did. But the question isn't about his lifetime, it's about the most famous person in all of history. That person is the man Jesus, for whatever reason, but through history he has remained the singularly most famous person around.

If we absolutely must name a figure with no ties to religion and who did not benefit from it at all (presumably why Jesus is excluded), then you cannot include any of the God-cult emperors or generals through the ages either. That excludes Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Augustus, and the vast majority of European and Asian monarchs, among others.

[Najnaj]

Someone that is famous all over the world will limit the pool. Extremely famous people like Hitler, Napoleon and Julius Caesar are not very famous in Asia for example. Maybe Genghis Khan?

[schwarzkopf]

For sure, he did. But the question isn't about his lifetime, it's about the most famous person in all of history. That person is the man Jesus,

Nope - your particular contender was not famous as a man... so doesn't count. That's the point.

The question is about the most famous PERSON ... that strongly infers that the question is about being famous as a person.

For most of history your contender wasn't even known outside a small part of the planet.

[God Save The King]

I know you said no religion but....

Jesus

I mean, our freaking date system is based on that guy, you cannot beat that

You can run off the Human Era if you want. Then it's based on the birth of agriculture, so the year is 12,017.



I have a human era Calendar in my room!!

[INVASMANIXOXOXO]

He's famous, he was a man, he existed. He's the most famous person in history.

Sure, there's the question of why he's famous, and whether it's a fairy tale or not, but there is no actual debate among scholars at this point that he was, in fact, a living human being.

Yeah there actually is, they didn't even have evidence of pontius pilate until like the 60s. I definitely believe he existed but the contemporary evidence for him existing is weak/lost to time.

Not sure if this is still accurate as this article is pretty old now http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...y-ossuary.html. Earliest mention is 30 years after his death, and not 100% solid... it is pretty good evidence but not a smoking gun... That being said I am not out to prove he didn't exist... I do believe he existed and I believe he was a very chill dude but I think you are misrepresenting the consensus on it.

[Thimagryn]

Michael Jackson.

I feel like music is a powerful medium for world-wide recognition. Even if many people now might not know much about him, I have a hunch there's more recognition towards him than people would recognize historic figures due to the emergence and global awareness of pop culture.

Someone like Alexander the Great gets huge recognization but I feel like historic figures don't get as much exposure now or globally the way that a pop icon may. Thinking about it, people in poor or uneducated countries might not know history but still have heard popular music. In this mindset, the most popular music icon I can think of is Michael Jackson.

[Puri]

Because technology has made personalities famous, but made very few people famous.

If we include the last 100 years then Psy of Gangnam Style is more famous that almost anyone else of the last 100 years.

So? And what's the problem with that? This would answer Jaylocks question.

[draynay]

Caesar left a huge imprint on western civilization.

[Coffeexbean]

Donald Trump lol everyone knows the name

[jackofwind]

Nope - your particular contender was not famous as a man... so doesn't count. That's the point.

The question is about the most famous PERSON ... that strongly infers that the question is about being famous as a person.

For most of history your contender wasn't even known outside a small part of the planet.

Except he was famous throughout history. There's nothing in the OP that says "who was most famous while they were alive."

So no. You're doing mental gymnastics here.

[Deleted]

There is no "most famous person".

It is as if you would ask

"What is the most famous color?".

[schwarzkopf]

So? And what's the problem with that? This would answer Jaylocks question.

No, it wouldn't - he wants the most famous PERSON. Via media, the world knows names of people, knows their characters - but the people themselves aren't famous.

Should we include other than Persons - then Santa Claus ranks pretty high.

[Jayburner]

There is no "most famous person".

It is as if you would ask

"What is the most famous color?".

definitely blue.

[schwarzkopf]

Except he was famous throughout history.

Incorrect, before the English expansion, and followup conversions - he wasn't known at all - after that he wasn't known as a person but a religious concept.

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"What is the most famous color?".

Oddly enough, that has been scientifically determined.

White and black (close), then red.

[INVASMANIXOXOXO]

Lol so if we are narrowing it down to fame while alive, not within the last 100 years, and not religious (lol). Kublai Khan, Napoleon, maybe one of the Persian leaders, Augustus, Alexander the Great, maybe some of the Ottoman sultans.

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Incorrect, before the English expansion, and followup conversions - he wasn't known at all - after that he wasn't known as a person but a religious concept.

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Oddly enough, that has been scientifically determined.

White, then black, then red.

Are you trolling? Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire for a while... not only that he is an important prophet in Islam...

[jackofwind]

Yeah there actually is, they didn't even have evidence of pontius pilate until like the 60s. I definitely believe he existed but the contemporary evidence for him existing is weak/lost to time.

Not sure if this is still accurate as this article is pretty old now http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...y-ossuary.html. Earliest mention is 30 years after his death, and not 100% solid... it is pretty good evidence but not a smoking gun... That being said I am not out to prove he didn't exist... I do believe he existed and I believe he was a very chill dude but I think you are misrepresenting the consensus on it.

Disclaimer: I have a degree in Classics-Archaeology, and have studied this subject and part of the history of the Greek and Roman Empires.

Being found in a source 30 years after his death is essentially nothing in regards to ancient literature, and the account in Josephus' history is excellent evidence for him existing, especially considering that we believe everything else Josephus writes and his account of Jesus is far from positive.

There is no "smoking gun" when it comes to sources that are 2000 years old, but scholars study these things and there are very few contemporary people who argue against Jesus having been real. I'm sorry if you think that I am misrepresenting, but having done five years of study on subjects that pertain to this discussion I would assure you that I am not.

[schwarzkopf]

Lol so if we are narrowing it down to fame while alive, not within the last 100 years,

I think the real question is - in the last 100 years has there been anyone famous without the use of global broadcasting to gain that fame ? Once we look for that, the only real contenders are those that killed the most.

[Sanguinezor]

Hitler

/10

[jackofwind]

Incorrect, before the English expansion, and followup conversions - he wasn't known at all - after that he wasn't known as a person but a religious concept.

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Oddly enough, that has been scientifically determined.

White and black (close), then red.

You're arguing semantics and it's boring and pointless. Besides, you obviously know next to nothing regarding the early history of Christianity and how it interacted with the traditional pagan beliefs of the Mediterranean and Abrahamic beliefs of Levant.

Why someone is famous is not ever what was in question by the OP, simply the fame itself. It's right there in the title of the thread.